Product Review: Ebags Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible

Guys, I love ebags. Earlier this year, I purchased their Kalya Town Square bag to use as a laptop/everyday bag and I just love it. It’s got a lifetime warranty and It’s held up so well that I knew that when it was time to purchase more luggage, I’d have to stick with this brand.

Enter the Mother Lode Weekender. I’ve been drooling over this bag for months and I finally purchased it. When it arrived, I immediately opened the box and did a trial packing run, just to see what all I could stuff inside it. Here’s what I found out.

I was able to get all 6 of my TravelOn Packing cubes within the main compartment of the bag. Now, these cubes are small, but they work for me. I was able to get 4 pairs of pants, 7 shirts, 2 sweaters, 6 dresses, 3 pairs of flats and my delicates bag all in the main compartment. I put my laptop in the laptop section and my TSA quart toiletries in one of the front compartments. I still had all of the exterior pockets to pack. I didn’t even unzip the expander. I honestly don’t know what all I’d put in there.

Just so you know for size comparison, I’m 5’3. This is me carrying my fully packed bag – the expander is zipped up.

My Favorite Features

This is a convertible bag. You can use it as a backpack or a sort of messenger bag. It has a strap that you can attach to carry it over your shoulder if you want. It also has handles on the top and side, for easy lifting. The backpack straps tuck back into the bag, so if you decide to check your luggage, there aren’t any loose straps to get stuck somewhere.

It fits within carry-on limits. Unless I’m moving somewhere, I don’t ever see myself having to check a bag. Most airlines let you bring a carry on and a personal item for free. This bag is small enough to be considered a carry on. I hate checking bags; I don’t want to risk them being lost and I hate waiting for them after the flight. Plus, they seem to always get beat up in the process. I can keep this bag with me at all time and just throw it on my back when walking. I don’t get stuck dragging a wheeled case down stairs or through crowded areas.

Flexible Packing & Lightweight Construction. Because the exterior isn’t hard, you have a little more leeway when packing. Plus, with all of the pockets and dividers inside this bag, packing is an absolute breeze. It’s easy to organize things and to keep all important items within reach.

Designed like a suitcase; not a backpack. All of the zippers and flaps open completely. There are double zippers on the main compartment (which expands), so you can open your bag all the way. This allows you have complete access to your entire suitcase instead of having to dig through the bag.

If you’re interested, here is a video explaining all of the cool features of the bag.

I JUST got this bag! 2 of them actually, because I’m sick of checking luggage and we only had one small suitcase, so I figured I’d just go and get these for all our future travels. I did a trial packing run as well, though I just grabbed 5 piles of clothes and shoved them all in there. No cubes or rolling or anything, and it all fit no problems. It was heavy but still comfortable. Obviously when I actually travel I’ll pack a bit better. But I love it!kristen recently posted…New Glasses à la Hipster

Thanks for your post. I was looking for a photo of a short girl wearing this bag. I’m 5’4″ and am trying to decide between this bag, and the jr version of this bag. I see it hangs down a bit low on you. Did you find that tiresome and heavy after a while? How much do you estimate the bag weighed after all packed up? Again, thanks for this review!

Hi Jamie! I actually think the bag is pretty comfortable. When I stuffed EVERYTHING into it, it did pretty heavy. Honestly, I can’t remember how much it weighed… but I had shoes, my hair dryer and a TON of clothes. Maybe 40-50lbs? I certainly wouldn’t pack it that full if I was going to go backpacking or something. But if you pack like a reasonable person and don’t bring your entire closet like I did, you should be fine :) Also.. the waist strap isn’t padded so I never really use it to help disperse the weight. I personally would go with the larger version, because I CAN get a lot in there if I need to. If you’ve got amazon prime, maybe you should order the bag from them. They are great with returns and if you think it’s too big you can always return it :)

Hello, thanks for the review. I just found out about this bag from an advert on Facebook ;-)
I read a lot of review and just bought this bag and waiting for it to come.
I travel weekly and am tired of pulling my roller bag. Also, I’m heading to France several times over the next 6 months and the first trip in Nov will be a test run with this bag.
Have you traveled with it yet? I’ve read some reviews saying how bad the weight was and they couldn’t see themselves using it for anymore than a few block walk..
I’m a 6’1″ guy and in pretty good health.. Just curious of any real world experience you can share..

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